Crimson Age
by iftswyw
Summary: Kinza and his grandfather have waited out the Crimson Age in the mines. When his grandfather falls ill, he gives Kinza his most prized possession—a strange sphere—and begs him to go see the world above before he passes. There's just one problem: the Earth that his grandfather spoke of is now the world of Pokemon! Protected by his grandfather's Pokémon, how will Kinza fare?
1. Chapter One

This is my first fanfiction, and most of it is typed on my phone. Yes, a phone. So forgive me if you see any strange words (possessed instead of purposely, her instead of he, for example). I will do my best to proofread this, but there's only so much I can do. This is a new region, in a part of the world unexplored by the games. I'm not sure if there will be fakemon; Let me know if that's your thing. This story might be a little...different...than others. To make battles a little more interesting, I might take liberties with type effectiveness and attacks and whatnot. I'm also going to focus on the different types of trainers you see in the games that don't get much attention—the martial artists, the mediums, etc. That way the battles aren't just trainers shouting flamethrower every other turn. I hope you enjoy this!

* * *

Clutching a hastily-drawn map in one hand and a lantern in the other, Kinza scrambled through the mines.

_It will be difficult to get out. I chose this place so those monsters couldn't get in. And they haven't, for the most part. Keep that sphere on you, in case you run into a monster. It will protect you._

Kinza had attached the sphere to his belt, since he needed both of his hands to use the map and torch. His grandfather was right—the mines were built like a labyrinth, and Kinza could barely keep track of his location on the map. He had to be mindful of the rotting support beams, and often had to go out of his way to avoid a caved-in passage. There were large blockades set up by his grandfather that had to be rolled aside using broken beams as a lever. He was traveling too slowly, and he didn't have time for that.

_I took you in here when you were a kid. You already know this. Your mom and your dad were already gone, taken by the Crimson Age. There were monsters everywhere—animals and objects turned into weapons. Anyone could be hiding a monster that could turn you into charcoal faster than you could blink. And there were people who didn't care what side you were on—they just went and attacked. We were lucky. We found this place, with more food and supplies than we would ever need, to wait out the war._

_But I can't stand it anymore._

Kinza felt something cold on his face—as if the air had morphed into water. It was probably wind. His grandfather had told him all sorts of things about the world before the war—how everything was a balance of cities and nature, with vivid blue skies and seas larger than he could comprehend, and a huge lantern in the sky called a Sun that would light everything up in the day. Then, at night, a lantern called the moon would appear, that was surrounded by dozens of frozen sparks called stars. He headed towards the wind, knowing that was where the rest of Earth awaited him.

_You've lived here all your life. You've never seen the sky, the trees, anything. The only green thing you've ever seen are the tiny plants we've grown here. I'm too old for this. I don't think I'm getting up again. And I can't stand the thought of you living here alone for the rest of your life. Please...take this map... Go and see it all at least once before I die. And if you get into any trouble, use this capsule... It will protect you..._

_I can only hope that the outside still resembles the world I remember... Whether you live in this dungeon or explore the world is up to you now. But please, just look at it once, before you die...so I can know that you saw something greater than this grave._

Kinza's hands shook as he held the map, remembering all of the stories of the outside world. For every amazing thing about it, there seemed to be something terrible. The world had machines that could communicate with someone thousands of miles away, but also machines that could kill you in an instant. The world could still be in a war, roaming with monsters...or perhaps everything had been destroyed, and he was alone. Normally, he wouldn't know which was worse—but right now, he could only think of losing his grandfather.

He wanted desperately to find something that could cure his grandfather's illness, and he didn't have long to do that. He only packed four capsules of lantern oil—he had guessed his grandfather would not survive past the time it took to burn those. He was on his third capsule now. He didn't have time to waste.

The mines had opened up into a large cave, and flickers of light now scattered across the cavern. Kinza's ears started to pop from the pressure change, but he couldn't stop. He started to run towards the next tunnel, avoiding the red stones that stuck out from the walls of the cavern.

Before he could reach it, the walls began to shuffle around him. The flickers of light that he saw before blinked in and out, and Kinza realized that these were the eyes of monsters. The blue and red stones molded to form three-legged creatures that hugged the cavern wall, with all of their molten eyes piercing into Kinza as he stood agape. Despite the danger, he could only think of his grandfather. He had left all of the doors to the mines below wide open...which meant that these monsters could find their way to them.

He picked up a loose stone on the ground and threw it at the ones behind him. It bounced off of its head, and all of the molten beasts grumbled angrily and shuffled slowly towards him. If they were chasing him, that would keep them from exploring deeper. Even so, he knew he was in trouble. He had no idea what kind of capabilities these monsters had—at the very least, it looked like they were as hard as stone, and could beat him to a pulp at a moment's notice.

Kinza ran into the next passage quickly, keeping a hold on his map and lantern, but using the dim blue light of the tunnel wall to guide him upwards. The monsters gave chase, their footsteps making the sound of a wave of gravel collapsing behind him. The light got brighter and brighter, but now it was hard to distinguish where it originated from. The tunnels grew more complex—some natural, some carved by human hands—and Kinza had no time to look at his map. He slid from passage to passage, ignoring the plethora of monsters that he was picking up. He had to focus on getting out as quickly as possible, and the chase was only making him quicker.

He turned another bend and tripped over some large stones on the path. He fell flat onto more boulders, and with horror he realized he had reached a cave-in. The monsters rumbled behind him, and in desperation, Kinza grabbed the sphere at his belt. He had no idea how it would protect him, but he had full faith in his grandfather. He held it out in front of him, and...

...it did nothing. Kinza shook it and banged it on the stones, wondering if it was supposed to be broken, all to no avail. The largest monster of the group roared, and the stones around it began to gather into a gem in front of it. The other monsters did the same, until the room was glowing bright with the melted stones. Kinza's eyes filled with tears, partly from the bright light source, and partly because he knew he wouldn't survive this. He had made a huge mistake in provoking the monsters, and now he would never make it to the outside world, let alone make it back to his grandfather in time.

The gems whirled at him with a shriek, and then a huge clang resounded off the tunnel walls. When he didn't feel anything from the attack, Kinza lowered his arms and squinted to see what had happened. The light levels were comfortable again, and Kinza could see his dropped lantern reflecting off of a new monster.

"Good job defending, Lairon!"

Kinza jumped at the sound of another human voice—the first he had ever heard, outside of his own and his grandfather's—and squinted into the darkness to see the silhouette of another person standing behind the monsters. Together with the Lairon, he had trapped the monsters within this tunnel. The figure raised its arm and shouted to the Lairon, "Now take them out with Head Smash!"

The Lairon grunted and stampeded forward, its steel head barreling through the monsters and causing chips of blue stone to fly off of the monster's legs. Kinza was shocked to learn that the monsters really were made of stone, and didn't just have incredibly hard skin. He backed up against the wall, uncomfortable to be defenseless in this situation. He didn't know if the other human was friend or foe and instinctively hid the map from view.

The other human saw the movement and shouted at him, "Why aren't you using your Pokemon? Is it knocked out?"

Kinza held the sphere in his hands, wondering if that was what the human meant. The sphere had two halves, with what seemed to be a lid on one side. Was this what he meant by a Pokemon?

"Have you ever been in a battle before? That's an old model of Pokeball, unscrew it from the top!"

Kinza cursed himself for being so stupid. He twirled the lid around until the ball popped open. His eyes burned from the light inside of the ball, but he didn't look away this time. He watched the light swirl and take shape on the ground in front of him, then fade into an orange glow that still lit up the cavern. Inside the glow, he could make out the shape of a white, black, and orange monster. Its blue eyes peered back at him with what seemed to be surprise. Kinza couldn't blame it—why on earth had his grandfather been holding onto one of these monsters?

"Ahhh, I see. A Larvesta. That's a terrible Pokemon to use against Boldore. But hey, I'm here to help you out. Lairon, use Metal Claw!"

The Lairon grunted, whirled around, and ran through the horde of monsters again, this time raising its front legs to cut the Boldore. Unlike last time, Lairon managed to slice through the stones, producing a clean cut and causing the Boldore to reel back in pain. The Lairon ran around Larvesta and stopped at its side, roaring at the stone beasts. They cowered backwards, towards the other human. One of them finally thought to turn around and notice the new person. It shrieked in anger causing the other beasts to converge on their new target.

Because of Larvesta's piercing light, Kinza could clearly see the other human. He seemed to have a little more weight on him than Kinza and his grandfather, but he was also taller. As the monsters bore down on him, his face was covered by a grin. The man leaped up and whirled his legs around, kicking one in the face and knocking it into the other beasts. In unison, the Lairon charged through them again, its metal claws shredding through the Boldore.

Those that were still awake crooned from the ground, while the others lay motionless on the tunnel floor. "Alright, Lairon, finish them off."

The beast huffed and scraped its foot on the ground, ready for another charge through. Before he could think, Kinza ran forward to block the Lairon. "I-isn't that enough?!" he stammered out. "You could kill them!" The human looked a little confused, and his Lairon looked up for further orders. The Boldore that were awake seized the moment to flee back into the cave. The others, their eyes glowing slightly less than a spark would, resembled the rubble of the cave-in.

Kinza felt a warmth by his leg, then instantly regretted looking down to see what it was. The bright light of the Larvesta had temporarily blinded him again. He held his hands over his eyes as he waited for the spots to fade away.

"If you're not here to train, what are you doing?" asked the human. "These mines don't lead anywhere, and they're very dangerous for a new trainer like you. And, just so you know, Pokemon don't die easily. Something like this only causes them to faint."

"Trainer?" Kinza asked, trying to grasp everything that had happened. "I'm not a trainer or anything. I live here, in the mines, with my grandfather. But he's sick...and I need to get medicine...I don't know the way out of this place...please, if you have medicine...he says it's time for him to go, but...I don't want to be alone." Kinza's eyes stung from the dust, and combined with the light, it was all Kinza could do to keep his eyes from crying and his voice from wavering.

"I have a few first aid supplies, nothing major, but it could keep him steady until we get to a Pokemon Center."

"Pokemon Center?" Kinza asked, peering through the fingers of his hands.

The other human had his eyebrows pulled together in a look of concern and confusion. "I think you've been in here longer than you should be. We can talk more about this later—the priority is making sure your grandfather is okay. Lead the way, if you can."

Kinza nodded, then went to grab his lantern off the floor. Dread filled him as he realized that it had already burnt out. Right now, all of the light in the cavern was being cast by Larvesta. How long had it been out? How much time did he have left?

He carefully picked up Larvesta, being sure not to look directly at it, and was surprised by its warmth. "We have to run, he doesn't have much time left," whispered Kinza. He raced forward, following his well-lit footprints, leaving the lantern behind. He didn't want to fuel it and have it burn out on the way back. He didn't want to know how little time there was to return.

The other human followed behind with his Lairon, keeping up pace easily. "My name is Magnum, by the way."

"I'm Kinza," he exhaled back, his breath used mainly by his running. "Are all humans as strong as you now?"

Magnum laughed, then muffled it, realizing how serious the situation was. "No, I'm a martial artist. I've trained carefully with my Pokemon, so that we can act as a team."

Larvesta squirmed in his arms, and Kinza apologized quietly to it. "We'll be there soon, and then you can see my grandfather. He'll explain everything to you." The Larvesta seemed to calm down a bit.

The journey down was faster than it was up, since the monsters they encountered all scurried away from the light, and the barricades had already been opened from the first time Kinza went through. Still, the time was definitely longer than it would take for a lantern to burn out. Despite the warmth of Larvesta, Kinza started to shiver.

They arrived at the final door: a small and easily moved metal entrance. Kinza burst through into the room beyond, the Larvesta lighting it up more than any lantern could. He was amazed at how well he could see every corner of the room—from the chests stacked with coal, the palletes of canned food abandoned by the former miners, the small garden of herbs that they subsisted on, the shelves filled with papers and precious gemstones they had found while living here, and even the wood grains of the drawing desk that Kinza had spent most of his time at. But most worrisome was the pale appearance of his grandfather, sleeping in the hammock.

Kinza rushed over, "Here he is! Give him the medicine!"

Larvesta jumped out of his arms and curled up next to his grandfather. Kinza felt his forehead for the temperature, then froze. His grandfather's skin had gone colder than the stone walls that surrounded him. He wasn't moving or breathing, and his eyes were open slightly. There was nothing there anymore to greet him. Kinza took his hands off and shivered, unable to say or do anything more than that.

Magnum had to duck to enter the room, taking off his bag hurriedly and scrounging for the first aid pack. His Lairon was too wide to enter, so he laid down at the entrance, his head poking in to view everything his trainer was doing. The man pulled out a bottle of clear liquid, and then put his hand on the shoulder, about to feed it to him. He instantly recognized the temperature and the stiffness of the man. He sighed and slowly put the bottle back into his bag. "We're too late."

The Larvesta was still snuggled up beneath his grandfather's arm, its eyes hidden from view. Kinza wasn't looking right at it, but he had a feeling that it had cared deeply about his grandfather, and was trying to wake him up. Despite being left alone, he didn't feel sad. He didn't feel anything. He was overwhelmed with emptiness. He knelt down next to his grandfather, holding one of his hands lightly. The muscles didn't bend, but just the contact would do.

"I went up and I saw everything. It was just like you said. The sky was huge, and there were plants ten times bigger than me growing around. The Sun was huge, and it made everything warm. It wasn't stuffy up there. There wasn't a war anymore, and all of the monsters are nice now. And I even managed to find Mom and Dad. It turns out they never died in the first place, isn't that strange?"

Kinza found himself smiling, and the emptiness was starting to get less heavy. Larvesta uncurled itself from his grandfather's side and fell back into Kinza's arms. Kinza closed his eyes and enjoyed Larvesta's warmth. Surely this is what sunlight felt like.

"But I'm sure wherever you are is much better than up there, you know? You might be disappointed, but you'll have to wait until we get old before you see us again. But we'll meet again. In the place you talk about all the time."

Magnum didn't say anything for a while, unsure of how to add to the silence—despite all of the questions that were prodding beneath his mind. Had this kid really lived underground all of his life? Had he never seen or heard of Pokemon before today? What had his grandfather been thinking? The Crimson Age had ended ten years ago. With access to modern medicine, his death would definitely have been preventable. Just how many years of Kinza's life had been shaved off by drinking cave water and eating food that was older than he was? He was baffled.

After a few minutes of silence, Lairon huffed. Magnum walked over and patted it on the head. He could definitely appreciate her patience today. Without turning around, he said quietly to Kinza, "I can show you the way out of here. I promise that there's no war anymore. It might not be the definition of safe, but humans and Pokemon are living in a time of peace. Life is better up there."

Kinza hugged Larvesta and nodded. "I'd like to see the place my grandfather...and my parents...grew up in. I'm sure he would have liked that."

Magnum sighed, looking around the room. "Then gather what you need. Put those stones in a bag, and don't tell anyone about them. They're worth a lot. We can come back for your grandfather after you get cleaned up and eat a good meal." Kinza nodded again.

* * *

He followed behind Magnum and Lairon slowly, with Larvesta lighting up the way. He still felt numb, but it was better than before. He was starting to realize how hungry and tired he was. Larvesta's stomach also seemed to be grumbling, and each time it happened, it would squirm in his arms a little. "Sorry, little guy. We can eat when we get to the top...I think."

"Definitely," replied Magnum. "I'm going to make sure the first thing you eat up there is the best thing you eat. None of these sprouts and rations. Something that's actually a meal. You're far too skinny for your age, and I'm betting Larvesta wouldn't mind a big meal, either." Larvesta chirped in approval. "Say, now that I think of it...just how old are you?"

"I'm sixteen. I was born June 5th, 1984."

"Ah, that's the old way of date keeping. The months are the same, but we've changed the years now...ah, but it doesn't matter. You should deal with one thing at a time."

The light reflecting off of the cave walls was getting a little too bright to bear, and his ears were pulsing from the pressure now. Kinza felt a headache coming on. He shielded his eyes and followed the sounds that Lairon was making. Then, he heard a grumbling sound deeper than any monster's he had heard before. "Something's there!" he whispered to Magnum.

Magnum listened for a moment, then sighed with relief. "Don't scare me like that. We're too high up for anything big to appear anymore." Lairon sniffed the air, then let out a growl. The ground in front of them collapsed, and a huge monster with blue and red crystals rose up from the rubble. It was like the Boldore, but much larger now—with four legs, instead of three.

"A Gigalith!" Magnum hissed. "Lairon, Head Smash, now!" Lairon charged forward quickly, aware that it was up against something huge. The Gigalith roared and slammed down one of its legs onto the Lairon's back. The Lairon screamed in pain, and Magnum quickly threw out a Pokeball to retrieve it. "Return, now!"

Without skipping a beat, it looked at Magnum and charged forward. Magnum braced himself, taking up some kind of fighting position, and then met its attack with a powerful kick. The Gigalith's stone cracked a bit, but quickly melded back together when the Gigalith applied pressure to it. Instead of attacking this time, it swept its legs across and flung Magnum into the rock walls. Kinza gasped as Magnum struggled to get up.

Larvesta jumped out of Kinza's arms and chirped, starting to glow brighter. "Are you going to fight, too?" Kinza cried, collapsing onto the ground and pulling it back towards him. The Larvesta nodded, struggling to escape his arms. Gigalith approached Magnum carefully, and Kinza finally noticed the broken Boldore that were hiding between its legs. It was getting revenge. "This isn't fair," he muttered, "Why does someone always have to die?"

The Larvesta shook his head and broke free. Just as the Gigalith went to attack Magnum in his dazed state, Larvesta burst forth a huge plume of fire. Kinza shielded his eyes, but he could still see the light behind his eyelids and the warmth on his skin. He struggled to look back and saw that the Gigalith had forgotten about Magnum and was looking at Larvesta now. The Boldore scuttled out from under the unscathed Gigalith and started to surrounded Kinza and Larvesta. Larvesta huffed angrily at the Boldore, as if to remind them of their debt to Kinza. They paid no attention to it.

The Gigalith reared up on both of its legs, about to slam down with both of its legs, but the movement scratched the ceiling with a huge wrenching noise. The ceiling buried the Gigalith, and the remaining Boldore scurried away. With the ground still rumbling from the ongoing cave-in, Kinza grabbed his Larvesta and ran towards Magnum, doing his best to shield it from the falling debris. A few stones hit his back hard, and he felt a sharp stab in his left ear.

Magnum pulled him forward, helping Kinza to narrowly miss the worst part of the collapse. Kinza realized it had become incredibly bright, and he started to see green wildlife growing on the stones. Small monsters scrambled across the cave-in, and if the Gigalith was awake beneath them, it certainly wasn't moving. Kinza carefully climbed out of their little nook, on top of the rubble, looking at all the strange new monsters.

"You're looking in the wrong place," laughed Magnum. "Try looking up."

Kinza looked up to see above him the largest ceiling he had ever come across—so high, that he could only perceive it by the brilliantly glowing stars stuck at its top. Huge plants—they must be trees—stretched upwards into the sky, nearly converging above him. The moon his grandfather had talked about was there as well, along with sinewy patches of clouds that were lined around the edges with bright silver. Its light made his head fuzzy, and he slowly started to lose his balance. He realized he was on the ground now, and everything was fading to white. The last thing he could hear was Larvesta chirping at his side.


	2. Chapter Two

"Is he awake yet?" Larvesta nudged his side insistently, and Kinza woke from his slumber. He sat up, and Larvesta quickly curled into his lap. The room was a stark white, and he squinted through the haze to see Magnum with three other people—all of them women.

"See? There he is," Magnum replied. The pink-haired woman walked forward and felt for his temperature, then stepped back. "It seems he's still alright, but I think he'll start catching quite a few diseases once he speaks to more people. He barely has an immune system right now. I'll get a few supplies for him and leave the rest to you two." She wrote something down on the papers she was carrying, then whisked through the room towards the door. She flicked a lever next to it, and the lights dimmed instantly. "Oh, and try to keep the lights down for now. Don't let him wander outside until I have a bigger talk with him, either."

The other two women nodded while Magnum sat annoyed at his exclusion. The second woman stepped forward close to him, picking up his hand and looking him in the eyes. Larvesta growled at her instantly, and the woman set his hand down immediately. It was just as well, since it made him a little uncomfortable. He had never been around so many people.

"I'm Officer Jenny, and I'm here to learn more about you and where you came from."

Kinza nodded warily. "I don't know much, but I'll tell you what I can."

Jenny smiled, "Good! I was worried we wouldn't get along. Magnum has said that many things happened to you, and that this is your first time on the surface since—well—since you were born. Is this true?"

"Mostly," he replied. "I know I was up here when I was a baby. We didn't go underground until my parents died. I don't remember any of it, though."

"Alright, so since the age of three or less..." Jenny scribbled that into her notebook. "I'm not going to pressure you into much more. I just need to know the names of your parents and your grandfather. That way we can learn more about who you are, and where you came from."

Kinza looked a little worried and shifted under the sheets. "I only know the name of my grandfather—Dietrich. He didn't speak about my parents much, and I never asked. It always made him cry."

Jenny nodded, "I see, I see...do you know how to spell that?"

"D-i-e-t-r-i-c-h," he replied. "That was his only name."

"German origin," said the woman behind Jenny. She seemed very pleased that he could spell.

The officer scribbled that down and continued, "Do you know any other names? Any places that your grandfather talked about?"

"Not specifically—he just called it all the outside. But, I did read a lot, from the stuff in the mines...it was boring stuff, though. Inventory, shipping logs, stuff like that. But sometimes there would be letters from people, so I know the address of the mines."

Jenny quipped, "We've already looked that up for you, don't worry." She flipped her pen around and put it and her notebook into her chest pocket. "Records going back past the Crimson Age aren't very reliable anymore—but I'll do what I can, you can count on that." She smiled, and then nodded at the final lady. She nodded back, and Jenny left the room hastily.

With just two people in the room now, Kinza could breathe a little more easily. He still wasn't used to two people, but it was better than four in a brightly lit room.

"What a hassle," Magnum complained, "Can we just skip to the point?"

The woman glared at him, then went back to ignoring him. She held out her hand and introduced herself. "My name's Professor Magnolia. You've made quite a stir in this mountain village, you know. Nothing like this has ever happened anywhere near here, and certainly not any time soon."

Kinza just nodded, unsure of how to respond.

"You seem to know quite a lot about the outside world, so I believe that your grandfather genuinely cared for you. But you certainly have more things to ask us, now that you've been here, right? We won't be prodding you with anymore questions. Just ask me whatever you like, for now."

Larvesta yawned and started to fall asleep in his lap. Kinza carefully pet its fur, and the insect seemed to tolerate that in its dozed state. "Do cities really exist?"

Magnolia laughed, "Of course! They're probably much bigger than your grandfather remembers, too."

Kinza smiled, then scoured his mind for something else. His grandfather had always been very responsive towards questions, as long as they weren't about himself or his parents. He would have to ask about things his grandfather wouldn't know. "What ended the Crimson Age? When did it end?"

"Well," the professor said, crossing her arms, "We simply arrived at a truce. We saw that the world was being destroyed, and decided victory and power were not as important as keeping our world habitable. So technically—the war is still going on. But the Crimson Age, where you would have to worry about bombs and these strange monsters attacking you and police everywhere—that passed as soon as there was a truce. We don't talk about the war anymore, because—well—some people are really sensitive to it, still. They lost someone important to the other side, so they despise anyone from that country—or maybe their family was attacked by Pokemon, so they can't stand trainers—there's just a lot of things that only time can sort through."

He recognized that word again—trainer. "What are trainers?"

Magnolia lit up at his question, "Ah! That's my specialty, you see. Magnum's, too. We're both Pokemon trainers, and I'm a Pokemon researcher as well!" Larvesta opened its eyes and glared at the professor for speaking too loudly during its nap. She covered her mouth mischieviously, "Oh! Sorry about that. Anyways...

"After the Crimson Age, there were still a lot of these monsters running around. Some of them were friendly, and trained to listen to the orders of people. Just a few years after the truce, we made a technology that could capture and hold these monsters—so now we call them Pocket Monsters, or Pokemon for short. It's all very simple, right?"

"So this Larvesta is a Pokemon? And Magnum's Lairon?"

"Correct!" chimed the professor. "Now, anyone who owns a Pokemon becomes a trainer. Some are better than others, and their Pokemon evolve and learn new attacks faster than wild Pokemon would. To make sure that these trainers stay strong enough to protect their city, we make them take a journey through the world and learn from the Gyms in each city. Lately it's become more of a sport than anything, with tournaments and Leagues popping up, but it's one that both humans and Pokemon can enjoy, and it does serve its purpose well. In little cities like this, with no Gym, it's up to professors like me to keep the peace. And, you know, I'm a very strong trainer."

"So, then, Magnum is...?"

Magnum jumped at his name, "I'm a trainer, too! I was passing by because I was training my Lairon. It was stupid of me to take just one Pokemon, though... I'm going to take on the League when we get strong enough." He grinned sheepishly.

"Am I a trainer, then?"

Professor Magnolia shook her head, "Nope! Right now you're only carrying your grandpa's Pokemon—you'll probably have a hard time controlling it in battle, and you may not be able to use it when it's most important. Because of that, I wanted to give you this one." She held out a Pokeball towards Kinza. "It's normal for professors to give newbies their first starter. You're pretty old for a beginning trainer, but not too old for the league."

Kinza tentatively took the Pokeball, then pressed the button in the center. A bright light flashed, and a dog-like Pokemon exited onto the bed. It had brown fur and a thick white mane. Larvesta instantly hissed and raised all of its torches in a display. The animal seemed confused and tilted its head, patiently waiting for the Larvesta to quiet down. Kinza scooped Larvesta into his arms to keep it from outright attacking.

"See? This is why you'll need your own Pokemon," chuckled Magnolia. She held out another machine—a small orange rectangle. "This is a Pokedex. You open it by pressing this button here—" she demonstrated "—and then you point it at a Pokemon."

Kinza pointed the Pokedex at the Pokemon at the foot of the bed. The interior buzzed, and then it read out in a masculine voice, "Eevee, the Evolution Pokemon. Its genetic code is unstable, so it can evolve in a variety of ways. There are only a few alive." He pointed it at Larvesta next, and it became still, with a haughty look on its face. "Larvesta, the Torch Pokemon. This Pokemon was believed to be born from the Sun. When it evolves, its entire body is engulfed in flames."

"Is that true?!" he blurted out to the professor.

"Oh! No, it's not. Well, maybe. Back before we did research on Pokemon, a lot of people made up stories about them. Sometimes the Pokedex isn't very graceful about delivering those old mythologies."

He sighed in disappointment.

"Anyways, Kinza...this is all leading up to a proposal. We've all decided that the best way for you to learn about this world would be to go on a journey together with your Pokemon. It'll be tough, starting out, but I'm sure you'll get used to it. We'll give you all the medicine and food you'll need for the first two cities or so, and Eevee will definitely help you." The Eevee murmured excitedly, wagging its tail, causing Larvesta to hiss again.

Nurse Joy barged through the door, carrying a pack and several bottles of water. She gave shoved them into Kinza's arms unceremoniously. "So you've talked about going on a journey, right?" she asked the professor.

Magnolia nodded.

"Good. Now, let me explain what I'm giving to you. These water bottles are important—make sure to drink one a day—they have a bunch of chemical filters that will keep your immune system strong and allow you to recover from attacks faster. And then—let's see—be sure to have three meals a day, I've packed enough for a week here—and, um—right, this is a map of the region, we're here—" she squiggled a dot on the map, and Kinza tried to make heads or tails of it while she spoke. The scale seemed far too large to be a useful map, if he was looking at it properly.

"Right! And about your Pokemon. I worked very carefully with Magnolia to give you a Pokemon that suits you. Right now your immune system is compromised—it's a little complicated, but that means you're going to get a lot more sick than someone who's lived up here their whole life. Try not to go travel too much during the day, it might be too bright for you. If you start feeling ill, just ask the Eevee to make a wish, and it will make you feel better, at least until you get to the next Pokemon Center. Oh, right, and have you nicknamed your Pokemon yet?"

Kinza carefully picked over her words as the nurse waited for a response. She spoke way too fast for him. "A...nickname?"

"Yes. A nickname will make the bond between you and your Pokemon stronger."

"Then...your nickname is Dietrich. The same as my grandfather. I'm sure he would have loved that," Kinza replied, petting Dietrich on the head. Dietrich yipped, while Larvesta squirmed in Kinza's other arm, annoyed by the fox. "Do I nickname Larvesta, too?"

"Ah, well, Magnolia—you have time to explain that, right? I'll see you later, Kinza!" she whisked out of the room as quickly as she had come.

Professor Magnolia sighed, "She's in and out like the wind. Nurses are always busy. Anyways, you don't need to give a nickname to that Pokemon. Your grandfather probably gave one to it, and it would annoy it if you call it anything else."

Larvesta huffed, and Kinza nodded understandingly, patting it on the head.

"On your journey, you can always stay at a Pokemon Center. We're here to heal up your Pokemon and clean you up from your trip."

"I don't have any money, though," he protested. He had been slightly worried about the money issue since he had woken up. His grandfather had told him plenty of things about the world being run by money. He knew he didn't have a dime.

"That's not an issue, really," laughed Magnolia. "As a trainer, you will probably pick up more cash than you know what to do with. Along with that, these Pokemon Centers are free to visit and use. You'll be perfectly fine."

"Alright..." said Kinza with relief. He was starting to feel a little worn out from the day.

"To start with, why don't you try returning your Pokemon?" suggested Magnolia.

Kinza held out Dietrich's Pokeball and Eevee transformed into a glowing light, returning back into the capsule. He then looked around for Larvesta's Pokeball. "Um...Magnum, do you know where I put his Pokeball."

Magnum swung his backpack around, digging through it, "I know I picked it up for you..." he found it and held it out to Kinza.

The Larvesta looked annoyed as Kinza tried to return it.

"Ah...is it one of those types?" sighed Magnolia. "Sometimes Pokemon absolutely hate Pokeballs, and will only walk around with their trainers."

Larvesta hissed at Magnolia and shook its head. Kinza sat in awe, since he didn't realize these creatures could actually understand humans.

"Hmm...am I wrong?" She took the Pokeball from Kinza and inspected it. "Ah, that's the reason!" She handed it back to Kinza sheepishly, "The seal on it is broken."

He looked at it more closely and could see the the part he twisted off had partially broken. He sighed, "Does that mean I need a new one?"

"Normally, yes, but there is an issue here. All of our systems recognize Larvesta as belonging to your grandfather right now—and you can't capture someone else's Pokemon."

Kinza smiled, "So no one can steal them, right?"

The professor nodded. "But, if you want to travel with Larvesta, it will have to walk with you."

The Larvesta groaned.

"I think it'll be fine. I'll carry it," he replied.

* * *

Outside, the sun had already set and lit up the sky with a violet and gold glow. Still, it was too bright for Kinza, and he squinted at what little he could see of the town. The place was filled with tiny cottages, their laundry lines slung from one home to the next over the road, their windows open to receive the night breeze—all of it was foreign to Kinza, like the town had popped out of some kind of fairy tale. The town was even covered in huge pine trees—a few days ago, he would never have believed the amount of vertical space they could take up. After a long shower, huge meal, and his first introduction to television, he wasn't entirely sure if he had the energy to make the trip. At the same time, there was no way they could start during the day.

Magnum yawned, "I have to get used to traveling at night again. This is when I normally sleep, you know."

Kinza muttered, "Sorry."

The trainer shook his head, "No, it's fine. Normally it would be a little more dangerous, but you can see in the dark, at least for now. And I'm only travelling with you until the first town—then we have to split ways."

"Only one town?" Kinza exclaimed. "What will I do after that?"

"Travel alone?" Magnum shrugged. "Or you could find someone else to travel with, it doesn't matter. You'll have your Pokemon protecting you, either way."

From atop Kinza's large backpack, Larvesta huffed.

"See? He'll be there if there's any trouble. Oh, there was one last thing I wanted to give you before we start!" He reached around into his pack again and produced five Pokeballs. "Pokemon trainers are allowed to travel in teams of six. You get more Pokemon by catching them in the wild. I'll probably be here to help you with your first catch, but in the meantime, this will be enough Pokeballs to hold you over until the first Gym."

"Thanks, Magnum." Kinza took the Pokeballs graciously, attaching them to the belt that Magnolia had given him.

Larvesta grumbled from its perch and Magnum flicked it on the nose. He hissed at him furiously, and Magnum replied with a laugh, "Don't be jealous of things he doesn't even have yet."

The insect squirmed so that he had his back facing Magnum, huffing in disapproval. Magnum crossed his arms, looking at Kinza again. "There's a lot of things you'll need to know as a trainer—but for now, you only need to worry about getting to the next city. You have a strong Pokemon and a decent trainer travelling with you, so you'll be alright. You can worry about the type of trainer that you'll become later on."

Kinza nodded.

"Alright, then. Ready to start?"

Larvesta chirped behind him, and Kinza exclaimed, "Yes!"


	3. Chapter Three

The dusky mountain side was heavy with the smell of pine, and the only noise that Kinza could hear was howling in the distance from some kind of canine. He had yet to see any of the original animals that his grandfather had spoken of, but plenty of Pokémon had crossed their path. Skiddo, the Mount Pokémon. Deerling, the Season Pokémon. HootHoot, the Owl Pokémon. His Pokédex had greatly expanded, but he still only had Dietrich on his team. His grandfather's Larvesta slept soundly in his bag, its head sticking out just enough to give it a decent amount of air. Any time it heard a noise, it would lift its head and look around protectively, but otherwise it was uninterested in its surroundings. The lack of sunlight seemed to make it drowsy.

Magnum had brought out his Dewott and Pansear to train them on the long walk, although they seemed to be scaring away the wildlife more than anything. They hadn't spoken much, and Kinza preferred it that way; The whole world was the opposite of what he was used to, and the opposite of what he expected it to be. Instead of a world of sprawling cities and wars, he had only met with helpful people in a tranquil, snow-covered village.

A sharp chirp shrilled from the bushes beside them, and a flock of birds erupted from their leafy cover. Pansear and Dewott readied themselves for battle, and Larvesta shook its head awake and peered into the darkness. A Pokémon stepped out of the bushes, a bird still clutched between its jaws as it tried to flutter away. Kinza flipped open the Pokédex quickly, scanning the unfamiliar creature. "Vulpix, the Fox Pokémon. Inside Vulpix's body burns a flame that never goes out. During the daytime, when the temperatures rise, this Pokémon releases flames from its mouth to prevent its body from growing too hot. Starly, the Starling Pokémon. They flock around mountains and fields, chasing after bug Pokémon. Their singing is noisy and annoying."

The Vulpix growled at the other Pokémon on the field, and they all leered back. The Starly took the opportunity to wriggle out and slashed the Vulpix with its talons as it fled upwards. The Vulpix snapped at it, but the Starly had already fled to the treetops.

Magnum lifted up two Pokéballs. "Return, Dewott and Pansear." He looked back at Kinza, "This one's weak. It'll just run away if I fight it. Use it to train Dietrich."

The Vulpix huffed a plume of smoke and charged towards Larvesta. The Larvesta charged forward and tackled it, knocking it back. It hissed and breathed out a plume of flames, covering the fox in embers. The scratch across its face glowed in the light, and once the flames had ceased, it sealed up into a scab.

"Vulpix has flashfire—that means it can absorb flame and use it as its own," explained Magnum. "Be careful, this little worm just made things harder for you. Wait any longer to use your Eevee, and we'll have a problem."

Kinza nodded and threw out Eevee's Pokéball. "Go, Dietrich!"

The Eevee landed on its feet, mimicking the stance of Vulpix. Vulpix bared its teeth, flames licking upwards through them, and Dietrich growled. He seemed to know what to do better than Kinza did, the boy concluded. Vulpix rushed forward, its fangs glowing bright from the heat of the flames.

"Watch out!" Kinza shouted, and Dietrich quickly dodged the attack, leaving a trail of sand in its wake. The Vulpix coughed and blinked its eyes in the dust. "Use that sand attack again, then tackle it while it can't see you!"

Dietrich nodded and swiped a bunch of sand directly into the Vulpix's eyes. The fox growled in frustration and the air around it flickered with heat, but its eyes were entirely shut now. Dietrich rushed through the dust and rammed his shoulders into the Vulpix's side, sending it skidding across the ground.

The Vulpix carefully stood up from the ground, its legs shaking and its eyes barely open. Its ears fell flat across its back in distaste, and it stepped back warily.

"Now's the perfect time to catch it," Magnum whispered. "Just throw one of your extra Pokéballs at it."

Kinza looked at him, a little surprised. "Why would I catch it? It doesn't want to be friendly with me."

The Vulpix rushed away through the brush, its six tails low to the ground. Magnum sighed. "You had the perfect opportunity. You'll never get a bigger team if you can't even catch a weak Pokémon."

"Deitrich and Larvesta are more than enough to keep me safe," retorted Kinza. Larvesta nodded fervently, perhaps trying to forget its blunder from before, and Dietrich sat down beside him and wrapped its tail around his leg. "Didn't you see?"

"There's going to be stronger Pokémon than that—not to mention the trainers that you'll battle—and you'll be in quite the spot if all you have is a low-leveled Eevee and a Larvesta without a trainer following you. You might be a strong trainer, but it's not enough if your Pokémon don't have the abilities to live up to your orders."

A piping noise erupted from the tree above them, and the Starly flew back down. There was still blood on its wings from its bite wound, and its flapping was a little hectic. It landed in front of Kinza and chirped loudly at him, unintimidated by the Eevee and Larvesta quite near it. Kinza crouched down, trying to look at its wing closer. The cuts were shallow, but he couldn't trust himself to know whether it was less grievous than it appeared. When Kinza tried to touch the harmed wing, the Starly nuzzled up underneath his finger.

"If you don't catch that one, you're hopeless," Magnum grumbled. "At least take it to a Pokémon Center." A machine at his waste chimed, and Magnum picked it up and held it to his ear. "Ah, wait just a minute, someone's calling me."

Kinza nodded and took out a spare Pokéball. The Starly tilted its head and chirped quizzically. He pressed the button on the ball, releasing the top and capturing the Starly in a swarm of light. He would have all night to think of a nickname.

Beside him, Magnum seemed to be talking fervently into his machine. "What do you mean? Just east of here? They shouldn't even be in this region! I'll be there as soon as I can, I have someone else here with me who can help." He put the machine down and started typing something into it. A grid of lights popped up, with an arrow pointing forward. He looked at Kinza, his eyebrows furrowed. "It looks like a village near here was attacked. The rangers are requesting that everyone in the area help them out. There's a huge fire—"

"It wasn't the Vulpix, was it?"

Magnum laughed half-heartedly, "No, that Vulpix isn't in a state to do anything. It was a group of bitter trainers. Hurry behind me!" Magnum raced in the direction of the arrow, and Kinza plucked up Larvesta and followed quickly behind. Dietrich ran beside him.

"I thought you said the war was over!" Kinza shouted to him.

"The war is over, but this isn't some utopia," the man replied. "Idiots still crop up who think they can still use Pokémon as weapons against people. And if those people don't raise Pokémon, there's no way for them to defend themselves! As far as safety goes, we can only train our Pokémon to defend us and hope that everyone follows the rules of battle. We can heal wounds just fine, but we can't bring people back from the dead. When gangs start to break the rules, you get situations like this! Slow down a bit, we're reaching the crest of the mountain."

The slope of the mountain flattened quite quickly, and it seemed like the ground before him disappeared. The trees in the valley below were so small that they were indistinguishable from one another, and a blue mist veiled everything in it. The only thing he could truly make out was the large plume of smoke that billowed out of the valley and the flames that were licking up the side of the mountain.

"Go, Pansear!" The monkey exited, puzzled that it would be called out so quickly. "There's a huge fire nearby. Show us the safest way to get through it—the village there is in danger!"

It climbed a tree and began jumping from limb to limb, with Magnum and Kinza following beneath it. It used its height to determine the safest route through the flames, although they had to race through the smog anyways. The crackling of fire grew until Kinza could hear it surrounding them, and then the sound of shouts and screams started to echo through the din.

They finally crossed a thicket filled with flying sparks and emerged in the town set ablaze. Pansear dropped to the ground next to Magnum, waiting for its next order. "Search for anyone trapped in the buildings," he instructed Pansear. He motioned for the others to follow it, "You three can help as well. Just be careful not to get trapped in the flames. I'm going to find those bastards!" He rushed through the inferno, with a Pokéball ready to fling at the first person he saw destructing the homes.

Kinza tried to follow the sound of the shouts, but the valley caused all of the noise to echo around. From below him, Dietrich nudged his leg and then barked. Kinza looked down just in time to see it race away towards a small hut. He scratched at the door, and Kinza opened it easily as the heat swung it backwards. He heard a muffled crying, and the Larvesta and Pansear jumped into the flames.

After a few minutes, they emerged from the building with a small cat Pokémon. Kinza breathed a sigh of relief. "Do you hear anything else, Dietrich?" The Eevee nodded its head and raced to the next building. They scoured several buildings, pulling out a few people and many Pokémon that were either sleeping, injured, or just bewildered by the flames. As the night went on, the flames died down, and Dietrich heard less and less. Finally, Dietrich shook its head when he asked him to search for any more noises. Whether they had saved them all, or everyone else was beyond saving—Kinza didn't dwell on it.

Despite the dimmed down fires, there were still plenty of shouts coming from the middle of the village. Since that was the direction that most of the trainers and rangers had went, Kinza had chosen to remain on the outskirts of town to help; Now that the fire was manageable, the group of four wandered into the middle of the village looking for Magnum. What they found instead was a mess of Pokémon trainers battling against one another. Quite a few were in a dark green uniform, with badges on each of their chests and tassels on their shoulders. If these were the people responsible, then they were quite a formal gang.

They weaved through the lines, and finally Pansear gasped and raced towards its trainer. Magnum was standing behind Dewott and Lairon, both Pokémon covered from head to toe in scratches and burns from the opposing Pokémon. Kinza pulled out the Pokédex and hastily scanned it. "Arcanine, the Legendary Pokémon. This fleet-footed Pokémon is said to run over 6,200 miles in a single day and night. The fire that blazes wildly within its body is its source of power." The dog standing before him was far taller than its Pokédex entry stated—it towered over everyone on the field by at least a foot. Its trainer was also quite tall, and dressed in a bright white uniform with red cuffs and lining. "Arcanine, Flare Blitz!"

"Counter it, Dewott! Lairon, Headbutt!" Dewott poised its shell blade, waiting to counter attack the Arcanine. In the meantime, Lairon rushed in to deflect its attack with its own strength. However, the Arcanine moved too quickly for both of them. It rushed through the field, leaving a trail of sparks in its wake. Dewott was knocked back from the hit, unable to swing down its blade in time. It shuddered on the ground and then grew still. "Dewott, return!" Magnum was visibly nervous.

Arcanine snapped at Lairon, flames licking through its teeth. It finally got a strangle hold behind its neck. "Now, use flamethrower!" The Arcanine obliged, a billow of flame spewing out from its jaws. The Lairon yelped, its carapace growing white and warping from the heat.

"Lairon, return!" His second Pokémon recalled, Magnum looked back at Pansear. The monkey nodded and leapt forward to take the place of the others. Larvesta joined it on the field, followed by Dietrich. Kinza ran beside Magnum, ready to battle alongside him.

Watching the team of Pokémon grow in front of him, their opponent grinned. "Idiots, all of you." The Arcanine barked in approval. "I only need one Pokémon to show you how weak you are. Arcanine, Overheat!"

Arcanine glowed brilliantly as its flames grew in temperature, then released the buildup with a roar. As it enveloped the field, Pansear shielded its eyes from the light, and Larvesta fought against the turbulence to shield Dietrich. Even so, after the flames cleared only Pansear was standing. Larvesta was wheezing heavily, and Dietrich was knocked out entirely. Kinza quickly returned his Eevee and ran to pick up Larvesta off the field.

"Come back, Pansear." The monkey looked back at its trainer, shocked, but allowed itself to return to its Pokéball.

"Giving up already?" taunted their opponent. "And here I was, amazed that your Pokémon was still standing."

"I know when they've lost," Magnum retorted. "I won't let my Pokémon die. But if you're really looking for a battle, then why don't we fight one-on-one—no Pokémon? Then you'll know what real strength is." Kinza saw the fire on the field reflecting in Magnum's eyes. After watching what happened in the caves, he had no doubt that Magnum could win in a one-on-one battle with the trainer—perhaps he could even win against the Arcanine.

Their opponent chuckled and waved his hand towards the Arcanine. The dog backed up and then sat next to its trainer. "You want to battle with a veteran? Alright, then. Let's see if you can land a hit. I'll show you people why you need more power."

Magnum rushed forward, maneuvering around the embers of the field, and then whirled around to land a flying kick. The opponent grinned, pulled out his pistol, and shot. Magnum dropped to the ground instantly. Kinza gasped, and in his arms Larvesta hissed at the man.

He laughed with his Arcanine, "Well, at least he had some kind of resolve!" He glanced at Kinza, sending chills down his spine. "I can't say that for all of you."

Despite his victory, the battles around them were wrapping up, with many of the rangers and back up trainers winning. The man seemed incredibly displeased by this. "Well, I was going to expand our territories here, but it seems there is nothing of worth to be gained." He dipped the brim of his hat so that it sat soundly on his head. "Nice to meet you, trainer. I am bringing back the old world—not the one of war, but the one of power. As it is now, you people are weak. You need a group like us to protect you. You could become this strong if you joined us. You have the right personality."

Kinza shook his head, adrenaline rushing as he wondered if Magnum would be alright.

"Such a shame. If you change your mind, tell the Crimson League that Augustine referred you. They'll know who it is." He lifted a whistle and rang it twice. The Arcanine beside him howled, then leaned down so its trainer could mount it. Augustine climbed on and called to the others, "Move out! We're done here." His Arcanine bounded from the smoking city, kicking up ash as it went.

The other members of his militia looked relieved, and raced behind him, careful not to seclude themselves from the others in the middle of so many rangers. As they left, a few trainers chased them, while others hollered and cheered, and still others remained silent. With only his wounded Larvesta in tow, he raced to get a nurse that would help Magnum and his Pokémon before it was too late.


End file.
